Dent airs TV ad in new part of district

Incumbent Charlie Dent began airing a campaign TV ad in the new areas of the 15th congressional district in part to introduce himself to new voters and in part to define his opponent, Democrat Rick Daugherty.

The 30-second spot is airing in Berks, Dauphin and Lebanon counties for at least the remainder of the month, Dent's campaign manager Shawn Millan said. It may go up in the Lehigh Valley next month.

The ad shows grainy footage of Daugherty, the chairman of the Lehigh County Democrats, saying the economy doesn't need less spending, it needs more revenue.

Then Dent appears, standing on what looks like a glowing light. He speaks directly into the camera as a slideshow of pictures of him interacting with constituents float behind him.

"Government overspending is the problem, and raising tax rates is not the solution,” Dent says. “Higher tax rates will not improve the economy or create jobs. For more American jobs, we need fiscal responsibility in Washington.”

Dent, for his part, has not ruled out raising taxes as part of a deficit reduction package, but has said he'd want new revenue through elimination of tax deductions and loopholes.

While no public polling has been done on the Dent-Daugherty race, Dent is considered safe to keep his seat. Redistricting has made the 15th district more Republican leaning and Daugherty has raised hardly any money.

"Charlie has a belief that has always served him well in his campaigns," Millan said. "You either run unopposed or you run hard. We have an opponent, so Charlie is going to run hard.”